Frontiers in Psychology (Oct 2021)

Fear of Nurses During COVID-19 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Assessment

  • Mahaman L. Moussa,
  • Fatchima Laouali Moussa,
  • Homood A. Alharbi,
  • Tagwa Omer,
  • Saleh Abdulkarim Khallaf,
  • Hamad Samran Al Harbi,
  • Ahmed Abdullah Albarqi

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.736103
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12

Abstract

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Objective: We aimed to assess the level of fear among nurses in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 outbreak.Methods: A cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted from June to August 2020. All nurses currently working in public and private hospitals in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic were invited to complete an online survey. We used the 7-item unidimensional Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) to assess the level of fear of COVID-19. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify predictors associated with fear of COVID-19.Results: A total of 969 nurses participated in this study. The participants were relatively young with a mean age of 35.5 ± 10.46 years. About two-thirds of the participants were women (65.9%), married (57.2%), and were non-Saudi nationals (67%). The total mean score for the FCV-19S was 19.7 SD 7.03 (range 7–35), which is near the mid-point, indicating a moderate level of fear of COVID-19. Out of the eight variables measured in the analysis, three variables emerged as a significant predictor (i.e., gender, marital status, and age). A higher level of fear (FCV-19S) was associated with being a woman, married, and older age (p ≤ 0.05).Conclusion: This study demonstrated the level of fear of COVID-19 among nurses in Saudi Arabia. Overall, nurses in Saudi reported moderate levels of fear of COVID-19. Assessing the level of fear of nurses who work during the COVID-19 pandemic should be a priority to health care administrators to prevent mental health difficulties or psychological injury.

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